The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling
"The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling" is a British airmen's song from World War I.[1]
It is apparently a parody of another popular song of the time entitled "She Only Answered 'Ting-a-ling-a-ling'".[2] It is featured in the Brendan Behan's play The Hostage (1958).[3]
Lyrics
[edit]The lyrics are:[citation needed]
- The Bells of Hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling
- For you but not for me:
- For me the angels sing-a-ling-a-ling,
- They've got the goods for me.
- Oh! Death, where is thy sting-a-ling-a-ling?
- Oh! Grave, thy victory?
- The Bells of Hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling
- For you but not for me.
Lines five and six quote St Paul's words on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15: 55, used in the burial service: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"[1] There are alternative, darker lyrics for the third and fourth lines, used in the original stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War!.[4]
- And the little devils all sing-aling-aling
- For you but not for me
The Behan version is:[3]
- The Bells of Hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling
- For you but not for me:
- Oh! Death, where is thy sting-a-ling-a-ling?
- Oh! Grave, thy victory?
- If you meet the undertaker,
- Or the young man from the Pru,
- Get a pint with what's left over,
- Now I'll say good-bye to you.
1966 film
[edit]A 1966 Mirisch Productions World War I war film with the title The Bells of Hell go Ting-a-ling-a-ling starring Gregory Peck and Ian McKellen, directed by David Miller and with a screenplay by Roald Dahl, was abandoned after five weeks filming in Switzerland.[5] The film, depicting the air raid on the Zeppelin base at Friedrichshafen, was abandoned after early snow in the Alps.[6]
Salvation Army
[edit]The song also has links with the Salvation Army, as referenced in "The Mixer and Server, Volume 20" of 1911: "In London, the Salvation Army lassies and other street-praying bands are singing a song that has become universally popular in the crowded sections of the city."[7] It is notable that the lyrics of this Salvation Army version differ slightly both from the established "angels" version and the "devils" version in Oh, What a Lovely War!:[citation needed]
- The bells of hell go ding-aling-ling
- For you, but not for me;
- The sweet-voiced angels sing-a-ling-ling
- Through all eternity.
- Oh, death, where is thy sting-a-ling-ling;
- Oh, grave, thy victory!
- No ding-a-ling-ling, no sting-a-ling-ling.
- But sing-a-ling-ling for me.
In popular culture
[edit]It is parodied in "The Wonderful War," by Leslie Charteris, collected in Featuring the Saint (1941).[8]
It is the song for the end credits of the tv mini series "A Perfect Hero" (1991).[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Tyler, Don (2016). Music of the First World War. ABC-CLIO. p. 22. ISBN 9781440839962.
- ^ Max Arthur (2001) When This Bloody War Is Over. London, Piatkus: 63
- ^ a b Mary Luckhurst, ed. (2006). A companion to modern British and Irish drama, 1880-2005. Malden, MA [etc.]: Blackwell. p. 252. ISBN 1405122285.
- ^ "Bells of Hell". Lyrics from Oh what a lovely war. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "The Bells of Hell Go Ding-a-ling-a-ling (1966) | BFI". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Origins: The Bells of Hell Go Ting-A-Ling-A-Ling".
- ^ Charteris, Leslie (1941). "The First Saint Omnibus". The Sun Dial Press. pp. 77–140..
- ^ "A Perfect Hero (TV Mini Series 1991– ) - IMDb". IMDb..
